Improvement in swinging gates



J. W. NEEDHAM.

Swinging Gate.

No. 220,939. Patented Oct. 28,1879.

Mains, PHOTO LITHOGRAPME it engage with the catch on the gate-post a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN W. NEEDHAM, OF NEOGA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lN SWINGING GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220.939, dated October 28, 1879; application filed February 15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN W. NEEDI-IAM, of Neoga, in the county of Cumberland and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swinging Gates; and I do hereby declare'that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference'beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a-plan view of my improved gate. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a detailed view, showing the gate-latch-opcrating mechanism. p

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like letters.

This invention relates to certain improvements in gates adapted to be opened and closed when the operator or person is mounted upon horseback or seated in a vehicle; and it consists in providing the gate with levers or latches, one fulcrumed in the rear end of the gate, and the other about centrally of the gate, and acting conjointly in connection with means adapted for operating said latches and for opening and closing said gate, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, A refers to the gate, which is constructed, preferably, in the panel form, with its panels secured in the center and at each end between parallel upright pieces. B B are two levers or latches, one fulcrumed at one end between the upright pieces at the rear end of the gate, and the other between the central upright pieces of the gate, and both reaching through or between and projecting from the upright pieces at the forward end thereof, to enable them to EX- tending from the lower side of the lever B is an inclined arm or bar, I), resting upon the le ver B, at which point, about, is a guide-bar, 1), between the two levers, which bar 1) serves to elevate the forwardend of the lever o-r latch B when the rear end of the latch B is elevated, and its forward end depressed, thus enabling the simultaneous disengagement of the latches from the gate-post catch. The rear end or part of the centrally-pivoted lever or latch B may be weighted, or made heavier than its forward end, to permit its automatic engagement with the said catch.

0 is a centrally-pivoted lever, fulcrumed upon the hinge-post of the gate, with its two arms connected by wires 0 c, or other suitable means, to two other similar levers, D D, pivoted upon posts at (I, one disposed or located at a suitable distance each side of or from the gate.

The levers D D are provided with handles, by which they may be grasped and operated by hand by the person or operator, without dismounting, if on horseback, or leaving his carriage or conveyance, in order to open or close the gate.

The lever O is connected to the gate and to the lower or centrally-pivoted latch, B, by the lever B, with one end looped or otherwise attached to the under side of one end of said lever O, and its other end similarly connected to the upper end of the gate A, which lever E is provided with two arms, 6 0, connected in any suitable way to each side of the lower lever or latch, B.

From the foregoing it will be observed that by moving or turning either of the levers D D in the required direction the lever G will be acted upon so as to cause it to draw or pull upon the lever E, which will simultaneously disengage the latches from the gate-post, or rather from its catch, and draw upon and open the gate. When the hand is removed from the grasped lever D or D, upon closing the gate, the latches will automatically engage with the gate-post catch, and thus be latched. Two other gate-posts with catches are located one upon each side of the hingepost, to enable the holding of the gate open in a latched position, when opened either way.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with the third-class lever B and first-class lever B, of the interposed connecting-bar, b, and operating mechanism, substantially as shown and described, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the latches B B,

pivoted as shown, of the lever E, centrally In testimony that I claim the foregoing as secured to the gate, and having arms 0 conmy own I hereunto a ffix my signature in presnected to latch B, bar I), and mechanism for ence of two witnesses.

operating the latch, substantially as shown and described. JOHN W. NEEDIIAM.

3. The combination, with a gate having latches B B and connecting-bar b, of the le- Witnesses:

ver E e and pivoted and connected levers C II. C. BARKER,

D D, substantially as herein shown and (le- JOHN LOCKHART.

scribed. 

